I was just reading this article on Salon.com about the fight over “indecency” in the media. If you don’t feel like sitting through the ad to get your free day-pass to Salon, the gist of the story is that media activists who banded together with conservative groups to fight the FCC’s moves to allow greater media consolidation are now surprised to find those same groups turning against them when it comes to opposing increased indecency regulation.
The House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday that would allow for fines of up to $500,000 to be levied against broadcasters who show/play “indecent” material. This bill is, of course, intended to protect innocent, freedom-loving Americans from the horrors of sexuality and rough language being forced upon them by the Evil Media. From the linked Washington Post article: The bill, sponsored by Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), not only would increase the maximum fine by more than a factor of 10, it would also allow the FCC to raise the penalty it can levy on performers who commit indecent acts from $11,000 to $500,000.
So Michael Powell has announced that he will be stepping down as head of the Federal Communications Commission at the end of March. In case you’re unfamiliar, Powell is the son of Colin Powell, and has been chairman of the FCC for the last four years. Before that, he served as a commissioner for three years, having been appointed by then-President Bill Clinton. I find Powell (a Republican) to be a perfect case-study in the contradictions within the modern conservative movement.